Friday, July 8, 2016

SPOTLIGHT - A Taming Season by Claire Gem

Manhattan domestic violence counselor Zoe Anderson is going
on the most important vacation of her life.

Before she can move on, help other women, Zoe needs to heal herself. Her Cinderella life
shattered three years ago one fateful night, leaving her a young widow, scarred
inside and out. In an attempt to reclaim her life, bury her demons, and save
her job, Zoe sets out for picturesque Lake George to claim the treasured family
cottage she recently inherited. Her therapist’s advice: Reboot, restore to an earlier time.

What she finds is a rundown shack.

The neighboring resort mogul, Jason Rolland, whisks in to her
rescue, insisting Zoe stay at his upscale Lakeview Lodge. The wealthy, handsome
bachelor has a bank account as big as his ego, along with his own nighttime
radio show where he plays the love guru of Jason’s Lair. He figures he might
use the gifts God gave him to convince the sexy redheaded stranger to give up
the crumbling eye-sore next door. A challenge he’s definitely up for. Besides,
he’s been trying to buy the cabin—and demolish it—for years: the last reminder
of his own tragic, childhood memories.

Zoe can’t deny her attraction to the tall, dark-haired Jason
with his pool-water blue eyes. Definitely fling material—if she can just get
past those flashbacks from the night everything changed. And the knowledge that
when it comes to happy-ever-after, you usually don’t get a second chance.
Certainly not possible with the Tiger of Jason’s Lair.

What Jason doesn’t figure on is Zoe’s charms melting his
emotional armor, exposing his own bruised, battered heart. But with his reputation,
can he ever win her trust & love? Can a tiger really change his stripes? Or
will their pasts come back to bite them both?

There
it was. That same tingling sensation in her core as the first time she laid
eyes on him. But not just since that day in the office. Since almost twenty
years ago.

He
stared at her in silence as she waited for his reply. Surely, if he grew up
here, the way things looked back then still held some nostalgia for him too,
wouldn’t it? Apparently not.

A
bulldozer. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

She
was so engrossed in her own reverie, she was completely taken off guard when
Jason, without saying a word, lifted his hand very slowly and slid her
sunglasses away from her face.

“I
can’t tell what you’re thinking if I can’t see those celadon eyes,” he said.

Celadon?
Seriously? What man even knows that word?

“Your
usual alpha male thing isn’t going to work with me, Rolland. And by the way,
they’re not celery, or whatever you just called them. They’re just plain old
green.” Zoe had started to tremble a little. She wasn’t sure if it was from
anger or . . . something else. Either way, she had to end this conversation
soon before she turned into a sideshow.

She
snatched her glasses out of Jason’s hand and perched them on top of her head.
Unfortunately, she forgot she had the beach hat on. The glasses tumbled into
the sand, and she heard Jason chuckle as he bent to retrieve them.

He
straightened, but made no move to hand them over. Slowly, he brought them to
his lips and, staring into her eyes the entire time, blew gently on the lenses,
one at a time, to free them of sand.

Christ.

Heat,
coming not from the brilliant sun overhead but from a spot just above the line
of her bikini bottom, spiraled up her body. As though she were stepping into a
hot tub, she felt the tell-tale flush on her skin. She knew her cheeks were
burning, bright pink. She felt her nipples strain against the lining of her
bikini top. Thank God she was hidden beneath her cover-up.

She
sucked in a quavering breath, and then let out a soft, exasperated growl.

“Give
me those,” she said, grabbing the glasses out of his hand.I’ve
got to get out of here. Now.She
reached down for the handles of her beach bag. She dropped the glasses in, and
then her book. “I’m expecting a phone call. From my attorney. We’ll discuss
this matter later,” she said.

As
Zoe stomped away across the sand, Jason called after her.

“What
were you planning to do with Delia’s
cottage, Zoe?”

She
stopped short, but she didn’t turn around. The tightness in her throat told her
she shouldn’t—and probably couldn’t—form a reply. He was asking a good
question. One she’d apparently not yet considered when she’d hopped in the car
and headed up here.

Pausing
long enough for one more shaky breath, she continued on her path toward the
Aspen, her ankles working hard in the deep, white sand.

Jason
watched her go, shaking his head and smiling. She looked like a pissed-off cat
that had lost her balance and toppled down from some perch. She was struggling
to keep her pace quick. But her flip-flops, and the sugary sand, made walking a
real challenge. She obviously wasn’t used to doing it every day.

Sure
must be a little different from strutting down Madison Ave. in stilettos. No,
that image didn’t quite fit. He couldn’t imagine Zoe Anderson in stilettos. She
seemed more like the sensible pump type. Pearls, maybe. A cashmere cardigan
over a pretty, floral dress.

Jason
shook off the ridiculous thoughts and combed his fingers through his hair. How
am I going to handle this?

Claire writes emotional romance. Her heroes are hot, her
heroines strong and brave: a combination lighting the spark to fan the flames
of your most intense romantic fantasies. Claire's characters are human—they
make mistakes, get clumsy sometimes, and they're not too proud to laugh at
themselves and each other.

She writes in two genres: romance w/a ghostly twist, and sexy
contemporary. Claire's books are like a thrill ride at a theme park. Whether
it's spooky-scary, angst-ridden relationships filled with gut-wrenching
turmoil, silly chuckle moments, or face-fanning sex, Claire guarantees to take
you on an emotionally intense romantic journey.

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About Me

I worked as an elementary school secretary for twenty-one years. I retired with my wonderful husband, to a fifty-four acre ranch, which is a constant work in progress. We live on solar and wind, which has been a real adjustment! On any given evening, the stars are an awesome sight and can be seen as far as the eye can see!